Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-05-13
BURGLARS UPIN FOREST CO.
A Desperate and Fatal ARRAY in
Which Young Wagner Killed
One of the RuffianS and Shot
Another.

Which Young Wagner Killed
One Of the RuffianS and Shot
Another.
CLARION, May 6.-The story of
the attempted burglary and killing OF
one mau and wounding another, as
partly described in the Pittsburg DIS
patch this morning, challenges ro-
nance as the particulars come out,
the actors being well-known charac-
ters in this section Of the State. A
corrected version is as follows: On
Tuesday evening last four men ap-
preached the residence OF Jacob Nag-
ner iu Forest county, just over the
Clarion county line. They found
Mrs. Wagner going to the spring
house. One of the number covered
her with his revolver, telling her to
keep quiet. The other three kicked
in the door of the dwelling and at
tempted to subdue the old man Wag-
ner and his two sons. A desperate
battle ensued, in which clubs, chairs
and finally firearms were used. Inc
Wagners were knocked down fire.
quently, but kept up the fight. At
last the burglars drew their revolvers
and began firing One Of the Wagner
bows was wounded and ran up stairs
for a gun. As he did this he was
fred at again but missed. Young
Wagner got the rife and the burglars
ran out of the house, the Wagners fol-
lowing to the veranda, where the
voungster fired at one of the burglars
who fell dead. Another one was
wounded but the three made their es'
cape, leaving their dead comrade.
The interior of the house shows
desperate struggle, there being scarce
IS whole piece of furniture III It
and ii bullet holes mark the walls.
The dead burglars face was photo
graphed and copies sent over the
country-one came to Edenburg, this
county, and was recognized by Lane
McCleary, Jr., as his son Will, whc
was but Is years Of age, and left
home a week ago, ostenaibly to hunt
work. The father and friend start
ed: 20 day for the corpse. The other
three burglars laid in the woods until
Wednesday evening, when one OF
their number, Sam Shell, came to
Turkey City, where McCleary's par
ents live, and another, Tom Hagerty,
came to Edenhurg for rig to con-
vey their wounded comrade, who
proved to be Shell Wilson, to the
railroad station at Elk City. Hagerty
and Wilson have been captured.
When Hagerty returned with We
hicle for Wilson he was suspected
and followed. He came near to the
Wagner settlement, turned into the
woods near a ravine and then whist
led. The signal was answered and he
soon had Wilson In the buggy. They
were followed and Hagerty was ar
rested when he returned the buggy to
Edenburg, and Wilson was taken
from the train there also. He was
suffering from o ball in his hip and
evidently had abandoned the buggy
because he could not stand the jolt
ing.
AN EXPERIENCED CONVICT.
Shell Wilson served one terra in
the penitentiary from this county and
one from Butler county for burglary.
Last fall he was under indictment at
Liverpool, O., but escaped conviction
He is the "artist" of the gang which
is supposed to have committed the
burglary of John Sherry's house, near
Edenburg, of $4,000, and of elias
Ritt's house, at st Petersburg, in
which $1,000 was taken. Wilson
and Hagerty both have respectable
parents living near Callensburg.
Sam She'll was released from jail two
months ago. The McCleaRys are
the terrors of their neighhorhood and
have been in the meshes Of the law
frequently, and mere frequently sus-
pected of crimes that could not be
proven. Their latest exploit was the
recent disturbance of religious meet
ing at Turkey City, and for which
oiiense Pittsburg detectives came to
arrest them but failed
Wilson and Hagerty have been
taken to Forest county Jail, and one
other man, vet unknown, but prob
ably q famiiarly-known "crook," is
still at large. Shell was captured
last night and the other unknown
man proves to be Scott McCleary,
and he was captured this morning.
lie is brother OF the killed burglar.